Let’s be honest: dorms are small spaces, and because they’re small spaces, they get cluttered and dirty fast. Daily or weekly upkeep does help, but every once in a while, a deep clean is absolutely necessary, and with little to no school work distractions, spring break is the perfect time to accomplish this dorm room reset. These are the best five places to start spring cleaning endeavors to make any space look and feel cleaner.
Organize clutter — This seems obvious, but taking the first few minutes just to put things where they belong really does make all the difference. Things like books, school supplies, trash, and miscellaneous knick knacks should be taken out and/or organized in a way that leaves surfaces clear of clutter. A good method to ensure organizational success is to buy a few decorative bins to look cute, categorize and keep clutter out of the way.
Wash laundry — One of the number one space clutterers in any dorm room is laundry. Wash, fold and put away any and all dirty laundry, including but not limited to clothes, towels, bedsheets and blankets. Invest in scent pods and dryer sheets to elevate the fresh scent of clean laundry. To avoid laundry room crowds, laundry should be done during the week and NOT on the weekend.
Dust all wood surfaces — Dust is difficult to see on the light wood surfaces in student dorm rooms and can really be a nasal nuisance, especially if the dust and dander is lodged in the cracks and crevices students don’t often check. Take a wet wipe and/or duster to all wood surfaces, including but not limited to desks, chairs, bed frames, cabinets and cupboards.
Vacuum — Vacuuming carpeted dorm rooms is essential to the cleanliness of the space, as it clears debris and harmful bacteria the aforementioned dusting and wiping just can’t pick up on its own. Small vacuums are pretty inexpensive, but if a student isn’t looking to invest, vacuums can be rented from the front desk at each of BGSU’s eight residence halls. Be sure to get the vacuum in the corners of the room that collect the most dirt.
Rearrange furniture (with roommate consent!) — If the space is feeling boring, a small rearrangement of furniture could be just the restart a dorm room needs. There is a caveat to this one: if there is more than one person living in the space, please confirm that the rearrangement is good with everyone. Use a tape measurer to get dimensions of the furniture to see if rearrangement is possible before moving everything around. If possible, rearrangement can make the space feel bigger, and moving the furniture can make it easier to clean and vacuum under those spaces often missed in daily upkeep.
